About

About Invictus

Invictus Dragon Boat Club was founded by Heather Walsh, Nikki White, Kevin Shipp and Lianne Nuttycomb in March 2020 with a clear vision, to bring the excitement and camaraderie of dragon boating to more Canberrans, welcome ex-paddlers back to the water, and create opportunities for our members to paddle locally, interstate, and internationally.

 

To paddle for Invictus is to be part of something bigger than yourself. It's about finding strength in unity, pushing through challenges together, and celebrating every win, big or small, as a team. Our culture is built on inclusiveness, commitment, and respect, with a shared belief that everyone has a role to play in the boat's success.

 

We are a vibrant, community-focused club where friendships are forged, resilience is built, and skills are constantly developed. On the water, we train and race with purpose, discipline, and drive. Off the water, we support each other, share laughs, and create a space where every member feels valued and connected.

 

Whether your goal is competition, fitness, or friendship, Invictus is a place where you can challenge yourself, be part of a close-knit crew, and discover just how far you can go when you paddle as one.

• At Invictus Dragon Boat Club, we are dedicated to creating an environment where every member has the opportunity to realise their full potential, both mentally and physically. Our focus is on growth, connection, and achievement, underpinned by our belief in the power of teamwork.

  We are committed to:

   

  • Member Development: Supporting all paddlers to improve skills, fitness, and confidence through regular, high-quality training.
  • Promotion of the Sport: Working with Dragon Boat ACT to grow awareness and participation in dragon boating across the ACT.
  • High-Performance Culture: Preparing crews to compete with skill, determination, and sportsmanship at the highest levels.
  • Pathways for Leaders: Providing opportunities for accredited Sweeps and Coaches to refine their craft and expand their leadership experience.
  • Community Contribution: Promoting the benefits of physical activity for health and wellbeing, while reducing barriers to participation and fostering inclusivity

Invictus is managed by an incredible volunteer Committee who juggle busy lives, paddling and the running of our great Club. If  you need to contact any member of the Committee, simply click here.

About Dragon Boat Racing

The Dragon Boat is deeply imbedded in China’s “Dragon” Culture, with each boat having an ornately carved dragon’s head at the bow and a tail in the stern. The boat is painted with scales. The paddles symbolically represent the dragon’s claws. The boats are about 12 metres long and a dragon boat team consists of 20 paddlers sitting two abreast, plus a sweep who steers the dragon boat from the rear and a drummer who sits at the front. The team of paddlers work in unison to propel the boat forwards from a standing start, the aim being to reach the finish line in the fastest time. Dragon boating is all about human power, cooperation and team work! Competitions are divided into separate categories depending on the mix of gender and age of the paddlers over a course of 200m, 500m or 2000m. Some competitions also have categories for 10 paddlers per boat.

The sport is recognised for the camaraderie, strength and endurance of participants. It's a great way to build fitness and make new friends.

Further information about dragon boating can be found on the International Dragon Boat Federation website.

History of Dragon Boat Racing

Dragon boat racing originated in China over 2500 years ago. The dragon boat festival commemorates the death of the poet Qu Yuan (pronounced "choo wan"), who drowned himself in the third century BC as a protest against a corrupt government. The legends are that the towns people attempted to rescue him by beating drums to scare fish away from eating his body and threw rice dumplings into the river to tempt the fish away from their hero. ​

Qu Yuan's sufferings had gained the sympathy of the people of Chu, and his tragic death is commemorated each year on the fifth day of the fifth moon, the day he drowned himself, when the fishermens’ attempt to save the poet is re-enacted in the form of dragon boat races. Traditionally, one paddler stands in the boat searching for Qu Yuan's body, while a drummer on board and the ferocious-looking dragon designs were added to frighten away evil water spirits.

While competition has taken place annually for more than 20 centuries as part of folk ritual, it emerged in modern times as an international sport in Hong Kong in 1976.​

The original Chinese dragon boats are constructed from teak planks, with camphor wood ornamental heads and tails. However, most modern dragon boats, such as the ones used in Canberra, are constructed from fiberglass, with wooden benches and detachable fiberglass ornamental heads and tails.